Bird flu has put the world on alert and things are not different in Brazil. Although there have been no cases of the disease in Brazil, action plans are in place and the country is preparing for the possibility of it arriving.

The Ministry of Health reports that it now has 66 "health units" in 20 states and the Federal District (Brasilia) ready to handle anyone with the H5N1 virus.

In cases where it is suspected that a person may have the virus, it will be possible to isolate them. An additional nine units are in the pipeline and will be operational before the middle of the year.

Brazil also has a stockpile of nine million kits of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug also known by its generic name of Oseltamivir, which is used in the treatment of strains of influenza types A and B.

Meanwhile an educational campaign continues in the country's main airports. And the government has announced it will prohibit the importation of poultry from areas where bird flu has been confirmed.

ABr

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